NEWS FETCH – May 22, 2015

TOP NEWS

• US consumers “eat” 300 gals of Calif water weekly in state’s food
• Languedoc Sales Predicted To Rise 54% In U.S.
• China Inc. Is Coming To America
• PA Winery Opens Up Inside A Walmart
• Hunting the thieves behind a rash of six-figure wine heists
• How Vladimir Putin created America’s new hot wine
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• Marlborough 2015 harvest worsens Sauvignon Blanc ‘squeeze’
• Impending Prosecco shortage sparks lookalikes

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Groups oppose handling of geographical indications in trade agreement revision
• China’s impact looms large as U.S. debates its own trade deals
• How good is the TPP? Look to China for an answer

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS Sponsored by:

• Seeing a value come to fruition ~ Suisun Valley
• New wine company speaks to customers
• North Bay remains slowest-growing part of booming Bay Area
• How To Overcome The Top 10 Objections From Beverage Retailers. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Fresno City Council buys water, passes water-conservation law
• Desalination: Could one of California’s drought solutions backfire?
• State Irrigation training set for landscape workers
• Drought leaves no water to combat salmon-killing parasite
• California water agency relies on flawed system to track water use
• State to order end to pumping from San Joaquin River
• Got a good grip on your bung? Click now to check out our “super grip” bung flash sale *Sponsored Link*

RECYCLED WASTEWATER

• Wastewater into wine

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands Appoints Jared Fix Chief Marketing Officer For Wine & Spirits
• Pernod To Benefit From Cuba Embargo Lift In U.S.
• Zacks Downgrades Constellation to Hold
• Deere ups guidance as construction offsets ag swoon
• World tractor market drops nearly 30 percent
• Diageo ends 15 year BBH partnership to handle Baileys and Gordons in-house
• Accolade Names NZ Chief Loza As New U.S. General Manager

FINANCE, M&A

• Ontario: Eagle Point Winery closed
• Stephan von Neipperg invests in South African property
• Tools of the Trade: 10 Must Have Documents to Have Ready For Your Distributor *Sponsored Link*

WINE THEFTS AND FAKERY

• How to Know If Your Expensive Wine Is Fake
• HMRC seize 68,000 litres of illegal booze

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Online auctions reveal unexpected price increase in fine wine
• Liv-ex: Pichon Lalande opens the day’s releases
• Liv-ex: Leoville Las Cases continues today’s releases
• Bordeaux Merchants Reluctant to Bow Down for Angelus
• Bordeaux 2014: Rush of releases but buyers still in short supply

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Vivino, the World’s Largest Wine Community, Grows to 10 Million Users
• How User Choices Can Boost Your Wine Club Membership & Loyalty. Click For A Free Best Practices Webinar *Sponsored Link*

ALCOHOL, HEALTH, AND THE FRENCH PARADOX
Click the link above for more news, articles and archives.

• Sainsbury’s works to develop lower alcohol wines consumers want to drink
• Neural implants let paralyzed man take a drink
• Beer secret to a long life, says 110 year-old

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• No More Dry Towns in CT, Only Two in NH

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Italian US Table Wine Volume Declines
• Branded Champagne enjoys strong growth
• Drinkers in England consuming 12 million more bottles of wine a week than previously thought

MARKETING & SALES

• Increase sales with shipping incentives
• How Large Distributors Launch A New Brand *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Debunking Social Media Myths

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Beyond Cabernet in China:Marselan, Aglianico and more
• Strange Happenings At Colorado Governor’s Cup 2015
• Champagne’s Next Revolution Is Now
• Filtering wine one way doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Click now to see the alternatives *Sponsored Link*

WINE PEOPLE

• The rising stars of Australia’s wine world
• Old Wine Dude Gets The New Sommelier Gig

WINE EDUCATION

• AVF Provides $1M+ to Viticulture & Enology Research

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• WA; Walter Clore Center celebrates first year

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Do Wine Buyers Really Care About Sustainability?
• Montana State virologist gleans grant to study honeybee health
• Looming El Niño worries Aussie beekeepers
• White House bee report resembles state findings

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Melatonin: Regulates your sleep cycle, regulates grape ripeness cycle
• Updated, Glitch-Free Grape Data Tool

EUROPE & THE UK

• Uruguayan wine sees UK sales boost

DOWN UNDER

• Chinese wines battle Australian exports
• Why NZ wine chief Scutts was found guilty of taking kickbacks

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Changes and lessons in the China wine market

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Arrivederci, Italia. You never cease to amaze me…